Thai Observations #1

I've already been in Thailand for over two months, but it's taken me awhile to start this blog.  As I'll point out in the near future in some sort of introductory post, this blog is not intended as a repository for descriptions of my experiences in Thailand; it's simply a place for me to record and develop my thoughts on a wide variety of topics.  That being said, I think that from time to time I'll have some (hopefully) thoughtful observations to make of life in Thailand.  I anticipate that sometimes these observations will be directly related to the topics in which I am more generally interested (e.g. Thai bioethics), but more often than not I will just find them randomly interesting and want to write them down for memory's sake.  Today, I'll start with one.

1. Outside almost every 7-11 and Tesco Lotus in Chiang Rai there is a scale (these franchises appear to have respective monopolies on the convenience store/superstore markets).  Patrons or passersby can slip one baht into the machine and weigh themselves.  Presumably, this indicates that many Thais are concerned with their weight, perhaps to the point of being very self-conscious about their weight.  At the very least, I would guess that the individuals who use the scale are concerned enough with their weight to want to know exactly what it is and that this concern might stem from a fear of being seen by others as either over- or underweight.

I am baffled, then, by the decision to place these scales outside the two most frequented stores in the city.  There is simply no way to weigh yourself without being seen by everyone who is walking into the store, out of the store, or loitering outside of the store.  What's more, is that as soon as one pays the machine, it begins playing a loud jingle that pretty much serves to attract the attention of anyone who is nearby.  Put simply, these scales are ridiculously public.  I don't understand why people who are self-conscious about their weight would weigh themselves in this manner.  Shouldn't they be too self-conscious to publicly weigh themselves?

I guess I'm just assuming a connection between being concerned about one's weight and being self-conscious about one's weight (i.e. not wanting others to know one's weight for fear or rejection).  This connection is admittedly present in Western culture.  Perhaps it doesn't exist as strongly in Thailand.  Perhaps people in Thailand are more internally motivated to watch their weight than externally motivated (i.e. by the fear of being rejected or treated differently by others).

But why the loud jingle?  My conclusion above explains why it isn't weird to place scales in very public locations, but not why one should actively draw attention to themselves as they are weighed...  I don't know.  This is another thought for another day.